Why Are Republicans the Only Climate-Science-Denying Party in the World?
I wrote a post last week in attempt to answer this question, in which I suggested that it’s simple supply and demand. Anywhere there is a demand for contra-scientific thinking, there will be charlatans popping up like mushrooms to supply that demand.
When my wife read the post she voiced her surprise that I didn’t mention corruption, i.e., enormous and dishonest control that Big Oil exerts on the Republican Party. She made a great point.
It’s not that the Democrats aren’t corrupt; it’s that they are controlled by a different set of extortionists.
Eventually, of course, petroleum is going to die of obsolescence as electric transportation continues to carve increasingly large chunks out of the total fuel market, even if our leaders are unwilling to do anything to cap emissions and improve land-use. Let’s say that time is 40 years hence, but at that point, the CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are somewhere between 500 and 600 PPM, and the temperature deltas are 3° C (5.4° F) above pre-industrial times, science has no way to stop the warming of the planet, and life here is defined by superstorms, wildfires, droughts, famines, disease carried by insects, ocean acidification, and loss of biodiversity.
I won’t be here, but my kids will, and they’ll be wondering why we baby-boomers didn’t do anything about this catastrophe while there was still time.
Craig,
If you calm down and lose the fever of a fanatical crusader on steroids, you might consider why some people do not subscribe to alarmist or extreme versions of climate science.
The problem for most people is how much to believe.
this makes commonsense. It’s a bit like the old Marx brothers skit;
Groucho, ” Why are you wearing that ridiculous and carrying that enormous gun? ”
Chico, “You may scoff, but it keeps me from being trampled by wild Elephants!”
Groucho “Wh..? “Hey, there are no wild Elephants in America, Elephants live thousands of miles away in Africa”.
Chico (smugly) “See how well it works! ”
Take the case of the unfortunate Tuvalu islanders.
This tiny South Pacific Island nation was solemnly informed by a “consensus” of climate scientists that the islanders must make immediate preparations to leave their island home and resettle elsewhere.
They were informed that due to climate change and sea level rise,the islands of Tuvalu would be underwater by 2020.
Billions of dollars, and much hand wringing angst, was spent on relocations plans. Recently, Greta Thunberg wept piteously in her well practiced manner for all the people and wild life about to perish beneath the waves.
Very sad.
Except it’s complete and utter BS! Over the last three decades the Islands of Tuvalu have actually ‘grown’ by 10-15% in land mass and 4 feet in overall height!
But supposing the Pacific nations had implemented the most drastic environmental demands, and the world had completely de-industrialised ?
Such an event would allow the more extreme and alarmist climate change activists to claimed the increase in land mass as ‘proof’ of the necessity of their demands.
Unfortunately for pragmatic, moderate environmentalists, their credibility is severely damaged by those like yourself, who see ever aspect of climate science in terms of a holy crusade where those who don’t agree with your political/ideological agenda must be burnt at the stake for heresy.